Adrenal Exhaustion & Caffeine Intake

Working a high-stress job or depriving yourself of sleep can leave you fatigued. That's where caffeine comes in, giving you an energy boost that can help you get through the day. However, some claim that caffeine is more dangerous than it seems: it ramps up your adrenaline levels, wearing out your body's natural hormone balance. That's a serious claim, but it may not have much scientific weight.

Claims

Your adrenal glands, located just above your kidneys, regulate hormones in your body that control your blood pressure, immune system, blood glucose and metabolism. When we overwork our bodies and put ourselves through too much stress, our adrenal glands are overworked and overstressed as well, pumping out higher-than-normal levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Some claim that modern habits like skipping meals, ingesting too much caffeine and carbohydrates, and other stress-related challenges can wear out our adrenal glands, resulting in imbalance and fatigue. Caffeine is claimed to be a particularly dangerous drug, whose overuse might result in serious adrenal exhaustion that requires expensive treatment and supplements.

Scientific Criticism

The Endocrine Society, a scientific organization devoted to research on hormones, calls the concept of adrenal fatigue a myth. There is no medical proof that such a condition exists, and it is not a "real" diagnosis. Supporters of adrenal fatigue may advise you to give up smoking, alcohol and drugs, eat healthier and sleep more--all practices that are guaranteed to make you feel better. Special supplements or vitamins, however, may actually harm you and in some cases have not been tested for safety.

Stress and Adrenal Glands

It is true that stress and caffeine, among other things, cause your adrenal glands to produce cortisol. Cortisol stimulates the production of glucose, and enhances the effects of adrenaline. This can be dangerous, and has been associated with health risks including increased belly fat, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, it is not known to cause adrenal imbalance or insufficiency.

Adrenal Insufficiency

Adrenal insufficiency is an existing medical condition that occurs when the adrenal glands do not produce enough cortisol. It is a life-threatening condition that can cause fatigue, pain, loss of appetite, rapid heart and respiratory rate, dehydration, coma and eventually death. However, adrenal insufficiency is not caused by caffeine. It is usually related to an injury to the pituitary or adrenal glands, severe dehydration, surgery, trauma or premature steroid withdrawal.